A few years ago I was lucky enough to visit Kitt Peak in Arizona for an astronomy night and it will be one of the highlights of my life. It was a revelationary moment when I looked up and saw the Milky Way properly for the first time; I was used to seeing a few bright stars with a few more during the cold winter. Nothing prepared me for millions of dots spread across the sky…the stars, like dust… Jamie and Todd explore the cosmos with Bryan Cogdell from telescope manufacturer Celestron.

At the interview table is the Celestron NexStar Evolution, a portable computerised wifi-operated telescope with built-in rechargeable battery. The telescope itself is a Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube which can be controlled wirelessly from a tablet (or smartphone) using the Celestron SkyPortal app for both iOS and Android. It’s very easy to use; simply find the celestial body of interest in the app and then the telescope will orient itself to view the galaxy, star or planet of interest. The battery lasts around 10 hours so there’s a whole night of viewing without recharging.

The NexStar Evolution is available now in three variants with 6″, 8″ and 9.25″ mirrors at around $1300, $1600 and $2200 respectively.

Just in case you don’t know, Cosmos is returning to the airwaves this year after a rather lengthy absence. The show, once hosted by the late Carl Sagan, is being revived by everyone’s favorite astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson. Celestron stopped by the TPN set at CES to unveil the way it’s celebrating this new TV show.

The new Cosmos telescope is a 90mm refractor model, and it’s operated by WiFi. You can control it via an app on your mobile device and easily have the lens point at any object you find. It’s a powerful scope, and the intention is to allow viewers of the new show to be able to go out observe some of the same objects they watched Tyson show off on TV. The Cosmos Telescope will be available this March and retail for $399. You can check it out now on the Celestron site.